History of Auckland

"Long long ago, Maui, a mischievous
demigod, went fishing one day with his brothers deep in the southern
ocean. Using his grandmother's jawbone for a hook, he caught a huge fish
and hauled it out of the sea. His brothers were jealous and fought over
the fish for tasty pieces. The fish became the North Island of New
Zealand, and the landforms were created by their actions, the sea flowing
into the gaps left by the hungry brothers. The resulting narrow Auckland
isthmus was surrounded by water, between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman
Sea."

The iwi or tribes of the Auckland area descend from the waka, original
canoes that came to the region about 800 years ago from Hawaiki, bringing
the dog, the native rat, and food plants such as taro, gourd, yam and
kumara. Their descendents include the Tainui, Hauraki and Kawerau iwi; and
the Ngati Whatua from the north, considered to be the official tangata
whenua, or people of the land, of Auckland City today.

Auckland is built on an active field of 48 volcanoes, dating back
150,000 years. The youngest, Rangitoto Island, blew up just 600 years ago,
and stands like a guardian over the city. The isthmus, Tamaki Makaurau,
was fertile with plant, tree, fish and birdlife and blessed with a mild
climate. Early coastal settlements show evidence of fishing and seasonal
food gathering. Later, large scale agriculture was practised and
archaeological sites frequently show seashell middens, or terraces for
housing or gardens. Rectangular dugout storage pits for kumara (sweet
potato) and taro are frequent. There are still many tapu (sacred) places,
associated with important events, ancestors and graves of these early
inhabitants. The volcanic cones offer the greatest visible evidence of old
Maori settlements and were probably developed as fortified pa during the
17th century, when intertribal conflict increased. The volcanoes remain
the most distinctive feature of Auckland's landscape, and like most
landforms had great symbolic and spiritual importance to the Maori.

Early European visitors included Captain James Cook, missionary
Reverend Samuel Marsden, British naval boats seeking kauri timber for
masts and spars, and whalers and sealers provisioning their ships. They
brought with them iron tools, alcohol and tobacco, serious diseases like
influenza, and most significantly muskets! As well as Christianity, the
missionaries also introduced farm animals, the plough, fruit trees, cereal
and vegetable crops. Traditional Maori ways of life were changed forever.

In 1840 many local chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi with Britain.
There have been problems in defining its true meaning ever since, and
therefore land disputes. However, it is an important document to New
Zealanders, embodying the ideal that "We are One People."

Auckland became the capital of the new colony in 1840 on land purchased
from the Ngati Whatua. Farming developed along with copper mining and
timber, and Maori communities participated widely in agriculture and
trade. Relations between them and European settlers were friendly during
the 1840s-50s; although military fencible settlements at Onehunga,
Otahuhu, Panmure, Howick and Albert Barracks in the city were built then.
The Land Wars of the 1860s decimated the South Auckland tribes, and much
of their land and that of Tainui was confiscated.

In 1865 the country's capital was transferred to Wellington. Auckland
grew to become the country's main industrial centre and port over the next
30 years. From 1870 immigration increased from Britain, and gum digging,
brick making, flour milling, brewing, publishing and boatbuilding were
added to the local trades. The introduction of refrigeration in the late
1880s had a major impact on the whole of New Zealand. Now it was possible
to transport fresh food to Britain and much produce passed through the
port of Auckland.

Through the 1880s Auckland had 8000 inhabitants and 20,000 people lived
on the isthmus. Many large buildings were built, such as the Customhouse,
City Library and Auckland Art Gallery. Fortifications at Takapuna, Bastion
Point, North Head, and Mount Victoria were built to defend the city in
case of attack.

By the 1890s Auckland was described as a "sophisticated
cosmopolitan centre". Venues such as the Auckland Domain were
developed for sport, and new leisure activities included steamer
excursions to beaches like Devonport and the Gulf Islands, horse racing,
walking, cycling and brass band concerts. After the hard early pioneering
days, people could now discover and enjoy the attractions of the Auckland
region.

During the early 1900s, the Ferry Building, the Chief Post Office, the
Auckland Town Hall and the Parnell Baths were all examples of new building
thought suitable for a sophisticated and civilised city. Grafton Bridge
was built and internationally acclaimed as the first reinforced concrete
arch in the Southern Hemisphere. The Maori population however was
decreasing. It was thought they would die out!

The Auckland Museum honours the thousands of young New Zealanders
killed and wounded in the First World War and other wars. During the
Second World War, large coastal gun batteries, like those along Tamaki
Drive, were installed around the city in case of attack.

Auckland's population reached 630,000 by 1970, due to both urban
migration and immigration: mostly from Britain (and Holland) in the 1950s
and the Pacific Islands in the 1960s. Motorways were begun in the 50s and
the Harbour Bridge opened in 1959, drawing the North Shore into the
growing metropolis.

Auckland has seen its share of debate and political action, from Flower
Power and anti Vietnam War rallies, and Peace Squadron anti-nuclear
flotillas on the Waitemata Harbour to enormous protests against the 1981
Springbok Tour. Bastion Point was the focus of a long Ngati Whatua
occupation in the 1980s and national attempts to resolve Maori land issues
continue today. In 1985 French secret agents sank the Greenpeace boat
Rainbow Warrior in the harbour.

Auckland's population reached one million in 1996. More and more people
try to cram onto the narrow isthmus. A wave of new immigrants from all
over the world have recently made Auckland their home. From the different
languages spoken in the street, and the variety of ethnic food now
available, you would never guess Auckland to be a small place, right
down-under in the South Pacific. Tourism is vital, and an exciting variety
of activities and experiences await visitors to this vibrant,
multi-cultural city.